Sky Blues pair pay visit to Barrs Hill's new pool and community swimming scheme
Two Coventry City stars made a splash when they dropped into a Coventry school to open a swimming pool and announce free lessons for youngsters in the community.
Sky Blues duo Conor Thomas and Callum Wilson visited Barr’s Hill, in Radford, as the first classes got underway using the British Gas Pools 4 Schools pool – a portable teaching facility designed to accommodate a full class of children in a specially designed teaching tank.
It was also announced during the visit that Coventry Sports Foundation staff will run free swimming lessons for families in receipt of benefits through funding from the One Goal initiative – a partnership between the football club and Coventry Sports Foundation.
The sessions will run at the school in the evenings for youngsters in the local community over a 13-week period and will be open to all families for £2.50 per session.
Wendy Jackson, community development manager at Coventry Sports Foundation, said:
“It is fantastic that the funding through One Goal will allow us to make the most of this pool which is a valuable tool.
“It will allow us to give youngsters, who might not otherwise have the opportunity, access to a facility which can help them learn an important life skill.
“We will certainly be working as hard as we possibly can to make the most of the pool during its stay in the city.”
Pupils were also able to ask the players questions during the visit as well as secure autographs from the CCFC youngsters.
Callum Wilson said: “I think this pool is a fantastic idea and it’s good to see the club working together with another sports organisation to help youngsters in the city learn an important skill.
“It was great to meet all of the schoolchildren and answer their questions; I hope they enjoyed the visit!”
Swimming lessons for children are available through Coventry Sports Foundation. For further details contact Wendy Jackson on 07747448562, email wajackson@covsf.com or visit www.covsf.com.
Picture caption (l/r): (back): Bernard Peffers, Barr’s Hill; Callum Wilson and Conor Thomas, CCFC. (middle) Stacie McDermott, CCFC; Wendy Jackson, Coventry Sports Foundation. (front) Rahma Mohamed, Chantelle Stasiw, Hannah Malone, Paige Peake and Esnes Parsons.